Blinding White Light
by thejazzienerd
Summary: Rebecca always believed, as did everyone else, that those strange creatures were evil, until she met a powerful dragon determined to prove otherwise. AU, prequel to Uprising.
1. Chapter 1

Rebecca served yet another tankard of ale to yet another patron who probably shouldn't be drinking anymore. The Mullins, the kindly couple who owned the tavern where she worked, always said to keep serving them so long as they kept paying and didn't get rowdy. She didn't mind. She always carried a knife, just in case, and tipsy travelers were excellent sources of information.

This one, for example, had just begun telling a travel story, a few of the village children hanging on his every word.

"So, there I be, in the inland mountains, and damn if those ain't one of the most brutal places I ever been. I be lost, starvin', an' pretty sure I be dyin' right there, when I look up, and one o' them dragons flies down and lands right in front o' me."

That got Rebecca's attention. She was always looking out for stories about the dragons, or any of the other strange creatures that had, according to the stories, spontaneously appeared in the world 300 years ago.

"What kind was it?" she asked.

"One o' them yella ones."

 _Yellow, huh,_ she thought.

"How did you escape?" asked a boy.

"You know, lad, that be the weird part. I swear to Arceus above, that dragon done showed me the way off the mountain."

"Wow," said a girl.

"You know," Rebecca said. "The yellow ones don't look all that scary."

"You've seen a dragon, Miss Rebecca?" asked the girl.

"Sure. All the time up on the mountain. And for fire-breathing lizards, the yellow ones look downright friendly."

The mountain near the village was more a large hill than a mountain. It certainly couldn't hold a candle to the sheer, imposing height of the inland ranges. Rebecca and her father lived in a small but comfortable house about halfway up.

Suddenly, the tavern door opened to admit a gust of chilly night air and three men wearing travel-stained cloaks. Two hurried to warm themselves by the fire; the third stood in the doorway for a long moment. Rebecca realized with a start that he was staring at her.

"Hey, close the damn door!" snapped another patron.

The man let the door fall shut and joined his companions by the fire. As the three men removed their cloaks, Rebecca saw that underneath they wore light armor bearing the sigil of the Dragon Slayers.

If the Slayers were in town, she needed to know why. She filled three tankards almost to the brim with Mrs. Mullin's strongest ale and left the bar to serve the three men at their seats by the fire.

"So," Old Man Wallace was saying, "what brings the Slayers to Telnor Village?"

"Rumors," said one of the men.

"There're always rumors," Wallace said. "If His Excellency thinks it's serious enough to send three Slayers to a backwater like Telnor, it must be more than a mere rumor." Rebecca winced at Wallace's tone. There was little love for the king in Telnor Village. Most people thought he didn't care about a backwater like this and would quickly sacrifice it were Hoenn or Kalos to invade.

"Rumors," the one man repeated, "of the White Dragon."

That statement got mostly blank looks.

"I take it you don't know that story."

"I do," Rebecca said, handing the men their ale. "It's said that the dragons take their marching orders from a true monster. Easily three times the size of any dragon we know to exist, pure white scales. Supposedly it constantly radiates an aura of pure flame that roasts anyone who gets too close." Rebecca faltered slightly. "The stories also call it an agent of the Evil One."

"You mean Gira…" one of the boys started to say before an older patron conked him on the head with a tankard. "Foolish boy!" the man snapped. "Don't you know to say the name of evil is to attract it?" The boy stopped talking.

"She," said the third man, the one who had lingered by the door.

"What?" Rebecca asked.

"The White Dragon is female. We have a credible eyewitness who claims the creature spoke to him, and that it had a distinctly female voice."

"Someone actually saw her?" asked a girl.

"And _lived_?" added a boy, incredulously.

"Yes. Moreover, he encountered her on the mountain outside this village." There was almost total silence in the tavern at that, broken only by a couple of soft gasps and the sound of Rebecca, who had picked up the poker in preparation for stoking the fire, dropping the implement onto the stone floor.

"But that's just a story, isn't it?" she asked, picking up the poker. "Just a story for parents to scare their kids with, like how Darkrai will give them nightmares if they're bad."

"Maybe. Maybe not. The White Dragon has been sighted all over the continent in the last century. We are here to determine the veracity of this latest sighting, and, if she's anywhere on that mountain, to do our jobs and kill her."

* * *

An hour later, everyone had left, those who lived in town going to their homes, the travelers passing through, including the three Slayers, to their rooms on the second floor. The Slayers had given a single gold coin to cover all three rooms, and Goodwife Mullin was in a tizzy over it. Most people in Telnor Village had never seen a gold coin before, much less been paid with one. Rebecca hadn't either, but she was too busy worrying about the way the Slayer had stared at her to freak out over gold.

After Goodman Mullin had given her her cut of the day's wages, better than usual considering the amount of money the tavern had made that day, and after she had shrugged off Goodwife Mullin's offer of an extra shawl to ward off the night's chill, Rebecca began her walk home. The Mullins waved to her as she started off.

"Do be careful on the mountain, Rebecca dear!" Goodwife Mullin called after her.

Rebecca sighed. For her and her father alone of all the villagers, the mountain held nothing to be afraid of. She had walked the same path daily since she was very young. She'd snuck away from the house to go exploring before as well, and so knew the landscape up there as well as anyone. And her father had only been living on it for longer.

She made it home easily. The animals, both the familiar ones and the strange new ones, never gave her any trouble. Her father had dubbed the strange animals "magical creatures," but the name hadn't caught on. Magic, as everyone knew, was the tool of the Evil One. Not that long ago, influential leaders in the Church of Arceus had circulated a report claiming that the creatures' abilities to control fire, water, ice, and so on was proof that their presence in the world heralded the beginning of the End Times.

She found her father out back in the garden, watching an orange-and-black, striped, doglike creature sniffing the plants.

"Hello, Papa. How's the studying going?" Rebecca's father was a bit eccentric. He alone of all the villagers, maybe in the entire country, had taken the time to observe the creatures in the wild, instead of simply believing the Church's reports about their nature.

Her father, Nolan, jumped at the sound of her voice. The creature he'd been watching ran off.

"I've made a discovery," he reported. "Regarding these creatures."

"What?"

"The way they react towards animals that are, shall we say, native to this world is incredible. While amongst their own kind, they exhibit the familiar predator-and-prey relationships. However, they seem to avoid hunting ordinary animals, even though these would be much easier prey. It's as if they are aware of the damage they could do to the balance of nature."

"That's certainly interesting," Rebecca said. She sometimes had little patience for her father's research. "Have you come up with a better name for them yet?"

"I have considered calling them 'Empowered.' Many of them seem similar to familiar animals, like dogs, deer, rabbits, sheep, et cetera, except for their powers. It almost seems as though some force took a bunch of animals and gifted them with these abilities."

"Are you saying what I think you are saying?"

"What?"

"Papa, it sounds like you are saying that these creatures exist by the will of Arceus, rather than in spite of it."

"I suppose I am."

"That's heresy! Papa, there are three Slayers in town chasing rumors. If they find out what you are doing…"

"Slayers? That could be problematic."

"That is an understatement."

* * *

That night, an unwelcome visitor or three arrived at the cottage on the mountain. Rebecca had been in bed, but the knock on the door woke her. She crept to the door of her room, from which she could see the front door, intending to see who it was.

Then she realized that her father had beaten her to it. He opened the door, revealing the three Slayers on the doorstep. She ducked out of sight behind the door, surprised to see them there.

"Walden," Nolan greeted.

"Nolan." Rebecca recognized the voice of the one who had stared at her at the tavern earlier, the one who'd spoken of the White Dragon and seemed to be the leader of the three.

"I should have known you'd track me down sooner or later." Apparently, her father knew these men.

"You are the closest thing this area has to an expert on these demons that have invaded our world. We need access to what you have compiled on them. "

 _That's not good_ , Rebecca thought. _Most of Papa's writings would likely be considered heretical._

While Nolan was likely fuming internally over Walden's description of the creatures as 'demons,' his response betrayed no such thing. "My studies are far from complete. Until they are, those records will not be available."

"Nolan, we must know our Enemy. Your records will be invaluable resources in these troubled times."

"Why are you here, Walden? Surely there are better experts than I in the capital."

"I did not simply come here seeking you."

"Oh?"

"I am here doing Arceus' work. We seek a powerful demon, no doubt a commander in the Evil One's army."

"The White Dragon again, Walden? You are obsessed." Apparently, Nolan had a history with these men, or at least their leader.

"She will not escape my blade," Walden vowed.

"You have no proof she even exists."

"Thousands of eyewitness reports, Nolan, spanning nearly a century."

"None of which were ever confirmed!"

"You have made your opinion clear. We will find the monster with or without you. I will pray for you."

Nolan slammed the door in the other man's face. "Blasted, self-righteous paladin," he muttered.

* * *

The next day dawned bright and clear. Another girl would be covering Rebecca's shift at the tavern that night, which meant she had a full day to spend with her father.

Which meant she had to help Nolan with his work.

She wasn't particularly thrilled about that. She'd never completely agreed with what he was trying to do. Challenging the Church was a risky business. Some who did it got to keep their heads; others didn't.

She found Nolan in the kitchen, poring over a notebook.

"Good morning, Papa," she greeted him.

"Morning, Rebecca."

"What are we doing today?"

"Fieldwork," he exclaimed, with an overly dramatic flourish.

Rebecca groaned.

"What?"

"It's dangerous. Papa, they breathe fire."

"Not all of them. Anyway, you have never had a problem on the mountain before."

"That's different from going looking for them."

"No one is making you come with me," he pointed out.

"Well, someone has to make sure you don't get eaten," she joked.

A few minutes later, Rebecca and Nolan were walking down a mountain path, heading for a small pond where they knew the creatures tended to congregate. Nolan carried a satchel containing several notebooks filled with sketches and scribbled notes.

Rebecca had to admit that her father was dedicated to his work. He had a real passion for knowledge; of course he would want to determine the creatures' nature for himself. But he was afraid. So was she.

"Papa," she asked. "What happened last night?"

"You saw that, huh? Let's just say that _Sir_ Walden and I have a history." He spat the knight's title.

"How long has he been chasing the White Dragon for?"

"Nearly twenty years. At first, his concern was proving she existed. Later, after he joined the Slayers, it became killing her, taking her head as a trophy. You know, the usual."

"You can't say the world wouldn't be a better place if she were slain."

"You say that without knowing a thing about her, other than what the stories say. Stories can be wrong, Rebecca, and frequently are. No one actually believes Darkrai exists, for example. He's just a story to scare kids with. We don't know for certain what she is."

"And if the Church is right and she is a demon?"

"Then I'll kill her myself."

Rebecca gasped. She knew her father was a decent archer. He had his bow and quiver slung over his back. But was he really good enough to take out something that powerful?

They left the path and started moving through the trees. Nolan moved more easily over this rougher terrain. The fabric of Rebecca's knee-length tunic kept getting caught on low-growing plants. As a result, he was a fair distance ahead of her when she heard a rustling in the trees overhead.

"Papa," she called.

He turned toward her and then suddenly froze. " Rebecca, get away from there!" He whipped out his bow and notched an arrow, aiming at a point just above his daughter's head.

Rebecca slowly turned and looked over her shoulder. A green dragon stood behind her. It was somewhat insect-like in appearance, with diamond-shaped wings trimmed in red. Its tail was striped in two shades of green, a darker and a lighter, with three small diamond-shaped "plates," also trimmed in red and overlapping to form a fan.

Rebecca was momentarily too startled to panic. The dragon seemed equally startled, solely based on the fact that it wasn't attacking, but that wouldn't last long.

"Rebecca, run! I'll hold it off." Nolan still had his bow drawn, but he wouldn't fire until he knew for certain the dragon's intentions. He didn't want to kill one of the creatures without cause.

Rebecca was about to run when she remembered the story the traveler had told in the tavern the previous night. Was it true? Were all dragons not the bloodthirsty monsters everyone thought they were?

Her hesitation gave the dragon all the time it needed to wrap its arms around her and take off, directly upwards. She screamed, more in surprise than fear. Nolan loosed his arrow, not entirely intentionally, and missed by a wide margin since he hadn't counted on his target's speed. In the time it took him to notch another, the dragon was gone.

* * *

Rebecca had initially struggled frantically. Any doubt about the nature of dragons she may have had had been banished by this one's actions, and she was now sure it intended to kill her and eat her. But as the dragon climbed higher, moving at a very high speed, she realized that if it were to let go of her, her chances of survival wouldn't be any better than in the current situation.

She quickly noticed a few things. First, screaming was probably useless at this kind of speed. Second, its wings made a singing sound as they sliced the air, which was almost pleasant to hear. Third, her weight was causing the dragon to fly extremely erratically.

Moreover, the speed at which they were moving turned the landscape below into a blur. Even if she did manage to escape from the dragon's nest before it slew her, she would never be able to find her way home before it caught up with her.

It seemed like they'd only flown for a few minutes before the dragon dove sharply downward. As it neared the tree line, Rebecca saw where they were headed. A massive cavern opened below them, the entrance partially obscured by vegetation. The dragon entered into this cavern, dropping down through a stone shaft. The pace at which it flew, although slower than before, was still quite fast. Rebecca thought she caught glimpses of other dragons peering out from side passages, but she couldn't be sure. Reaching the bottom of the shaft, the dragon leveled out, skimming the top of a small lake, before climbing up slightly and dropping her none too gently on the shore.

Rebecca looked around the cavern. It was massive. Just the fact that a cave this large existed on the mountain and no one knew was shocking enough. The other surprise was, now that she was no longer moving, she could clearly see that it was full of dragons. She saw yellow ones, orange ones, and at least two shades of blue, as well as other green ones. There was another entrance, probably a ground-level exit, on the other side of the lake.

One of them approached her. This one was a blue-green quadruped with large, red wings and red ridges above its eyes. Three flat fins protruded from either side of its face.

The one who had brought her there flew down to land between her and the approaching dragon. The green was taller than this newcomer, but more lightly built. It seemed the blue would win in a fight between the two. Not that it mattered to her. She was going to be eaten either way. Although a fight breaking out might give her a chance to get away.

The blue growled low in its throat, but seemed reluctant to attack. The green growled back, then opened its mouth and shot a small fireball at the blue's feet. The blue turned and flew off.

The green returned its attention to her. She was not fooled. The dragon was not protecting her, other than simply to guard its catch. No doubt taking a human as prey would earn this dragon some prestige amongst its fellows.

The dragon gestured to something behind her. She turned and for the first time noticed the cave behind her. It growled something then lowered its head. Rebecca heard faint rustling noises as something larger than any dragon she'd seen so far shifted within it. She understood. This cavern was a hive of dragons, and _this_ was the queen.

It stepped from the darkness of the cave. Easily twenty feet tall, with pure white scales—or was that fur—that spiked up on its chest and legs. Massive wings swept back from its arms, acquiring a feathery look at their tips. Twin mane-like crests flowed from the back of its head. Its hands and feet sported wicked looking claws. But the two most striking features of this dragon were its conical tail, which pulsed dimly with orange light, and its icy blue eyes.

The White Dragon was standing right in front of her, and Rebecca, sure she was going to be killed at any moment, couldn't help but notice how beautiful the creature was.

If that was shocking, what happened next was even more so.

It spoke. " **Welcome to my home, Rebecca.** " The voice was strange, heard with the mind more than with the ears, but it was, as Walden had said, clearly female, a calm alto.

Rebecca said nothing.

" **Are you not going to greet your host?** "

She finally found her voice. "I…If you're going to kill me, please…just make it quick."

The dragon laughed. " **I mean you no harm, Rebecca. And I will admit surprise that you have yet to faint. Most humans I have shown myself to have not performed so well.** "

Rebecca didn't quite know how to respond to that. "How do you know my name?" she finally asked.

" **My dragons brought your father to my attention a few years ago.** " The dragon settled herself down on the stone floor in front of her cave. Rebecca noticed that it was raised slightly above the rest of the lakeshore. " **Since then, I have had them observing the two of you. You see, in the last century I have undertaken a mission of a personal significance: to show your people what we truly are.** "

She gestured to the cavern with a wing. Rebecca looked and saw hundreds of dragons poking their heads out of various small caves and lining the lakeshore, craning for a look at what their queen was doing.

" **Your father seems to be the only human I can trust to listen to me, but I needed to create a situation in which coming here was in his best interest.** "

"So you kidnapped me?" Rebecca yelled.

" **I will not keep you here if you do not desire to stay. I am offering you a choice as to whether or not to aid me. If you say no, I will have Flygon,** " she gestured to the green dragon, " **take you home.** "

"Can I think for a second?"

" **Of course.** "

Rebecca thought. The dragon sure seemed sincere, but surely a demon could easily take on such a mantle to hide her true intentions. The Evil One's servants were supposed to be as heartless and cruel as their master. Saying yes to this offer could very well result in a short, painful life and agonizing death. On the other hand, maybe she was telling the truth. Rebecca had only a few stories and the word of an obsessed paladin to support the White Dragon's being a demon. While she had the evidence of her own eyes and ears to support the opposing argument.

 _Papa always said you can't draw conclusions without evidence,_ she thought. _Concrete observational evidence._

But was it worth taking the chance that Walden was right? Something suddenly occurred to her. Where was the aura? The stories said that simply getting too close to the White Dragon could burn someone alive. Well, here she was, about ten feet away from the creature, and completely unharmed.

 _I wonder what else the stories got wrong,_ she thought.

" **Have you made a decision?** "

Sheer curiosity finally got the better of Rebecca. "I think I'll stay."

" **Excellent.** " The dragon stood and raised her voice so the entire cavern could hear. " **From this moment forth, the girl comes under my protection. Any who do her harm will face my wrath. That is all.** " The dragons all left, vanishing into their caves or, in a couple cases, into the lake.

"So," Rebecca said, "if I'm going to be here for a while, I'll need something to call you other than 'White Dragon.'"

" **My name is Reshiram.** "

* * *

 **AN:** **Here it is, finally. The prequel to Uprising, which will set the stage, in some ways, for it. There's already some background up on my page, but this will hopefully provide more detail.**

 **Writing this story was really interesting for me, because I really got to put by background into it. I heavily based the Church of Arceus on the medieval Roman Catholic Church. The Slayers are kind of like the Knights Templar, or any other holy order of knights from medieval Europe.**

 **As for using Reshiram in this story, initially it was just because I wanted to. She's one of my favorite Legends, and she doesn't pop up in fics all that often, certainly not without Zekrom. But of course, it makes perfect sense that she would be the one to try and show everyone what Pokemon truly are. It's also kind of interesting to have her labeled as evil considering what the color white often symbolizes in Christianity: purity and righteousness.**

 **Reshiram's plan is actually a win-win for her. If Rebecca agrees to stay, then Nolan comes after her and Reshiram gets a chance to explain everything. If Rebecca asks to go home, then Flygon drops her off and give Nolan a very good piece of evidence against Pokemon being evil.**

 **Also, Rebecca is not a barmaid. I imagined the Mullins' tavern more as a boarding house that just happens to have a bar attached then as a bar that just happens to have guest rooms attached. While I'm thinking about it, "Goodman" and "Goodwife" were essentially the medieval version of "Mr." and "Mrs.", honorifics given to common people.**

 **The title is a reference to Team Rocket's Unova Region motto, which contains several lines that suggest Reshiram and Zekrom.**


	2. Chapter 2

Nolan stumbled into the house. His daughter…his beautiful Rebecca…gone. Snatched away by a dragon. He remembered her words that morning: _someone has to make sure you don't get eaten._ Arceus had a sick since of irony.

He knew there was almost no way she was still alive. He'd studied dragons for a large portion of his life, and he'd never known one to hoard food. No, that demon had almost certainly killed her as soon as it returned to its lair.

Why her? That straight-up takeoff couldn't have been easy, but by dropping below the tree line it had forced itself to execute such a maneuver. No mere animal would take such difficult prey when something easier was available. Surely even a demon would think twice about putting itself in such a situation just to take a victim.

He didn't want to admit it, but that dragon had to have been acting on orders. And he knew of only one being who gave orders to dragons.

The White Dragon…his daughter was in the hands of the White Dragon. If she even still lived. He knew what he had to do: enter the demon's lair and somehow, somehow bring his daughter out of that Hell.

 _And if you find only a body?_ Asked a voice in the back of his mind.

"Then I will avenge her."

* * *

Reshiram turned and entered the cave, Rebecca following. She initially hung back, expecting the dragon's tail to sweep from side to side as she walked, but she actually carried it quite stiffly. After noticing this, Rebecca tried to move closer, only to find that it was uncomfortably hot near the tail. Thinking for a second that this might be the aura from the story, Rebecca retreated a couple steps, back to a comfortable distance, and found that the heat around Reshiram's tail was extremely localized. Directly next to it was too hot for any creature to feel comfortable. Only a couple of feet away, however, the searing heat turned into a warmth similar to what came from a fire in a fireplace.

Rebecca was intrigued by the pulsing light that seemed to come from within the tail. She wondered if this was the source of Reshiram's fire. If it was, why was it located in her tail, rather than a more sensible place, like her chest? And why didn't all dragons have similar tails?

As she watched, the glow suddenly got brighter and Reshiram staggered, gasping in…pain?

"Are you all right?" Rebecca asked.

" **I am…fine,** " Reshiram said. She turned and looked at her tail. As the glow subsided back to its previous level, she breathed a sigh of relief. Rebecca noticed, for a split second just before the glow lessened, that the dragon's eyes and the tips of her crests were glowing a fiery orange, the same color as the glow in her tail.

* * *

That night, Reshiram let the girl sleep on her back. She'd originally prepared a bed of moss and leaves for her guest but had dispensed with it after Rebecca had complained about how cold the cave was. Reshiram had never noticed that; her internal flame kept her from ever feeling the cold.

Now, Rebecca was sound asleep, curled up at the base of Reshiram's neck. She couldn't see the girl where she was, but she could feel the weight on her back. She was already growing fond of the kid.

" _It's getting worse, isn't it?_ "

She turned and saw Flygon standing behind her.

" **How could you tell?** "

" _It was not so bright yesterday,_ " the smaller dragon said, gesturing to Reshiram's tail. Both of them just stared at it for a long moment.

" **I will have to see him again,** " she finally said.

" _Respectfully, my lady, I do not think that will work forever._ "

" **It will not. It does not have to. I would not want to shackle myself to his therapies anyway.** "

* * *

Rebecca almost panicked when she woke up the next morning to find herself on a dragon's back. She hurriedly scrambled to the ground, stepping on the creature's wing as she did.

As soon as Rebecca put her foot onto the membrane of the wing, it snapped upward, knocking her to the ground.

" **Ow!** "

As soon as she heard Reshiram's voice, she remembered what had happened.

"Sorry for waking you," Rebecca said as the dragon got to her feet.

" **I was not asleep.** "

The conversation was interrupted then by a low growl from the entrance to the cave. Rebecca turned and looked.

It was the green dragon who'd brought her here. Flygon, his name was.

" **You have the day's list?** " Reshiram asked him.

 _What sort of list?_ Rebecca wondered. _Certainly not a paper one._

Flygon growled again.

" **I will not be able to attend to it immediately. I have an…errand to run first.** "

Rebecca listened very closely to the smaller dragon's response, trying to make out syllables. She couldn't make out anything intelligible, but this was clearly a language of some sort.

" **What is the weather currently?** "

Rebecca thought she could detect a syllable that sounded like "gon" in the response this time.

" **Good. We will not be seen.** "

"We?" Rebecca asked. "What kind of errand are you talking about?"

" **Get on,** " Reshiram ordered.

"Wait. Where are we going?"

" **You will see.** "

Rebecca didn't want to go anywhere with this dragon until she knew the specifics. There was a small part of her that still firmly believed that Reshiram intended to kill her eventually. But she also had a feeling she wasn't going to get any more answers until they arrived at wherever they were going.

She climbed back onto Reshiram's back, feeling the dragon's fur and scales under her hands. The "fur," as Rebecca had noticed the previous night, had quite a strange texture. It was closer to human hair than it was to typical fur, but it was rather coarse, almost uncomfortable to brush up against. Underneath it, Rebecca could see a layer of small scales. The two layers combined to create a beautiful sheen.

Reshiram pushed off from the ground and was suddenly airborne. It was the smoothest takeoff Rebecca had ever seen from any flying creature. She flew out of the cave, the air currents making flying quite difficult for Flygon, who trailed her. The smaller dragon negotiated the currents well, though.

Once over the lake, to Rebecca's shock, Reshiram shot fire from her tail to give herself an extra push upward. She shot out of the cavern's upper exit, trailing fire, but once above the trees, she cut the fire and flew using just her wings.

The day was solidly overcast, and Reshiram blended passably well into the pale gray of the clouds. Rebecca guessed that this was why she had asked about the weather. She'd have been spotted in seconds if the day was clear.

"Where are you taking me?" Rebecca asked.

" **We call it the Heart of the Forest. There is someone there I want you to meet.** "

"Okay, I guess."

The next several minutes passed in silence, aside from the soft snap of Reshiram's wings slicing the air. Now that she was getting a ride from a dragon in a more comfortable way, Rebecca couldn't help but stare in wonder. Seeing the world, or even just a small part of it, like this was incredible. More so was the realization, when it came, that she was quite possibly the first human to see the world this way.

Reshiram was circling over the forest, now.

"Are you lost?" Rebecca asked.

" **Finding the Heart is not easy. Its inhabitants cannot simply allow anyone to discover it.** "

After a couple more seconds, Reshiram went into a sharp dive and landed outside a grove of trees.

" **This is it,** " she said. Rebecca went to slide off. " **No. Stay there.** "

She did.

Rebecca wasn't sure what she'd expected, but the creature that stepped from the grove at that moment was not it. It was a blue-and-black deer, nearly as tall as Reshiram. Most of its body was fairly simple in design, aside from a few pale blue marks on its legs and chest. The only truly remarkable thing about it was its antlers. It had four pairs of them, and they were huge, easily longer than Rebecca was tall.

" **Xerneas,** " Reshiram said, dipping her head in greeting.

" **Reshiram.** " The deer, Xerneas, returned the gesture. The voice was male, and tinged with arrogance. " **You have returned, and that means...** "

Reshiram shook her head tersely, cutting him off.

" **You fear to speak of it where others may listen?** " Xerneas questioned.

"Speak of what?" Rebecca asked, frustrated. "You still haven't told me anything."

" **You dare bring a human here?** " he demanded, noticing Rebecca.

" **I bring,** " Reshiram countered, a growl forming in her throat, " **someone who has agreed to help me in my crusade and comes here under my protection.** "

"Can someone please explain to me what's going on?" Rebecca slid off the dragon's back, despite what she had said.

" **Hold your tongue, you foolish girl,** " Xerneas snapped. " **Were you not under Reshiram's protection I would slay you for daring to come here.** " Rebecca took a hurried step back.

" **And once you did I would burn your precious glade to the ground,** " Reshiram returned.

" **You would not dare.** "

" **Try me.** " Reshiram's eyes glowed like a pair of miniature bonfires, and, for a moment, she truly looked the part of the fire demon the Slayers thought she was. Then the glow in her tail pulsed, almost hungrily, and she cried out.

" **Come inside.** " The deer's tone softened immediately.

Reshiram entered the grove, and Rebecca started to follow, but Xerneas stopped her.

" **You will remain here,** " he said. " **Sawsbuck.** "

Another deer stepped from the grove. This one would have looked perfectly ordinary, if not for the small green spots on its back and the leaves in its antlers.

" **Keep an eye on her,** " Xerneas ordered it. " **I do not trust her.** "

The larger deer turned and strode into the glade, leaving Rebecca outside with the smaller one.

She immediately ran over and peered into the grove, craning her neck to see through the trees. Sawsbuck, the smaller deer, made no move to stop her. Xerneas and Reshiram stood face-to-face inside.

" **Why bring her here?** " Xerneas asked.

" **I had hoped she would learn something here about what we are.** "

" **I will be speaking to Father about this.** "

 _Who is his father?_ Rebecca thought. _Interesting._

" **He already knows, and he supports my plan.** "

" **Why do you care about** ** _them_** **?** " He spat the final word.

" **Because everyone deserves a chance to change.** "

" **Not them!** " the deer cried. " **Not when they slaughter our subjects, those we are sworn to protect, and do it in our father's name.** "

 _No way,_ Rebecca thought. _Arceus? How can Arceus be their father?_

" **They are ignorant. That is all.** "

" **I disagree. But you did not come to argue with me. How is it?** "

" **You have two perfectly functional eyes. Look at my tail.** "

Xerneas looked at Reshiram's tale for a long moment. Rebecca craned her neck a little farther and saw that the glow was as bright as she'd ever seen it.

" **You did not take my advice,** " he said.

" **I tried.** "

" **Try harder,** " the deer snapped. " **If you cannot bring this under control, it will consume you. I cannot hold it back forever.** "

" **I am not asking you to. I am resigned to it. I only require a little more time.** "

" **Reshiram…** " Xerneas seemed to be at a loss for words.

" **Just do it.** "

" **Very well.** " Xerneas' antlers glowed, going from pale blue to a riot of colors. Rebecca saw pale gold, orange, red, purple, and turquoise. His whole body glowed a pale pink. A pulse of darker pink surrounded Reshiram for a few seconds before subsiding. As it did, she breathed a sigh of relief, and the glow in her tail subsided almost completely.

* * *

As soon as they returned to the cavern, Flygon met them. He dipped his head in greeting to Reshiram, then spoke.

" _My lady, the girl's father is nearly here._ "

Reshiram gasped. She'd expected that Rebecca's father, Nolan, would come looking for his daughter. She'd counted on it. But she had apparently underestimated the determination of an angry father.

" **How long?** " she asked.

" _One of the Salamence spotted him not long after you left for the Heart. He'll be here before sun-high._ "

" **Get everyone in their places. They know what to do?** "

" _Yes, my lady._ "

" **Good.** " Flygon flew off.

"Wait. What's going on?" Rebecca asked, having understood only half of that conversation.

" **Your father is coming.** "

* * *

Rebecca gasped. Her father was on his way. No doubt, in his mind, he was coming on a rescue mission. He would be well armed. An image flashed into her mind of one of her father's arrows piercing Reshiram's heart.

"I don't want you to get hurt," she said.

" **I will not. I have had this plan formed for years.** **Besides, it would take more than a few arrows to defeat me.** "

"Okay…But before we do this, I have to ask."

" **What Xerneas did at the glade.** "

"Yes."

" **I had hoped I would not have to tell you. Perhaps I was a fool to think that.** "

"So…," Rebecca prompted.

" **Rebecca, I am dying.**

 **"** What?"

" **There is a fire inside of me that powers my attacks.** " She formed a ball of fire in her claws, then let it dissipate. " **But I cannot control it. It has grown too big, and it is consuming me from the inside. Xerneas has the power to prolong life. He has been able to hold it back for decades, but my time is running out.** "

"So that's why you acted when you did."

" **Yes. So long as I can show even one person the truth about my kind first, I can die happy.** "

"I…I'm sorry."

" **Do not be. You have given me that chance, and for that, I thank you. Now, when your father enters the cave, this is what we will do.** "

* * *

Dragons had been watching him for hours, that much Nolan knew. It hadn't taken him long to realize that they were leading him somewhere. And now he'd found this cave. He guessed it was their mistress's lair. In there, somewhere, he would find Rebecca. The question was whether the White Dragon would have kept her alive.

He had spent hours preparing for this and had left early that morning. He had blundered around the forest aimlessly for most of the time he had spent looking, but then he'd realized that dragons had been popping up at regular intervals, as though hoping to lure him somewhere. He'd followed them, perhaps against his better judgment, in the hopes that he would find Rebecca, or at least her body, wherever he ended up.

He unslung his bow, ready to shoot at the first sign of movement. The simple fact that the demon had apparently wanted him to find this place told him that he should be ready. This could not bode well.

He entered the cave, and after walking for a short distance, he was surprised to see it open up into a large cavern. He noticed the shaft of light that came in through the hole in the ceiling and illuminated the lake at the bottom of the shaft, as well as the secondary cave that opened off the main chamber. He also noticed that it appeared completely empty. This was quite the cave; was it really home to only one dragon?

He crossed the cavern, toward the smaller cave. He guessed that this was where the dragon slept, and he wondered if her absence from the main cave meant that he'd had the sheer dumb luck to catch her in the middle of a nap. If he could slay her in her sleep, then escape with Rebecca without alerting any of the other dragons that might be watching…

He was about to enter the cave, when he heard the rustling of wings behind him. He turned and saw what could only be the White Dragon herself descending through the hole in the roof.

He started to draw back on the bowstring, but stopped, momentarily dazzled by the way the light reflected off her scales. He'd seen white dogs, white horses, even a white cat or two, but none of them could compare to this dragon. There was not a trace of cream, gray, or yellow in her coloration.

He shook of the daze, wondering if this was how she snared mortals, then scrambled backwards when he realized she was coming in for a landing on the shore.

"Where is my daughter, demon?" he cried.

The dragon's only response was to complete her landing, but once she had, Nolan saw what was perhaps the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. Rebecca poked her head up from between the dragon's shoulder blades.

"Papa," she said.

Instantly, his bow was drawn all the way back, arrow trained on the dragon's heart. "Let her go," he ordered.

"Papa," Rebecca repeated, climbing down. "Stop. She just wants to talk."

Nolan took a hand off his bowstring, grabbed her by the wrist, and stared into her eyes. She looked normal, not under any form of duress, but there had to be something. Why else would she be asking him not to shoot her captor?

"What have you done to her?" he demanded.

Rebecca put her hand on his arm. "She didn't do anything to me. I'm fine. Just listen to what she has to say, please."

"She's a demon, Rebecca," he said.

" **Oh, I am, am I?** " said a woman's voice in his head. " **And yet your daughter stands before you, alive and unharmed.** "

He stared in shock at the dragon. "Did you just say something in my head?"

" **How else did you expect me to hold a conversation?** "

"This is a trick," he said. "Some kind of dark magic."

" **Is it? You have studied my kind. After seeing us breathe fire, teleport, and so on, does this truly seem so impossible?** "

"Well, maybe it's all magic."

" **You may call it that, but it is simply a way of manipulating the natural energies of the world. Tell me, if your ancestors saw how you can start a fire with flint and steel, what would they think?** "

"I suppose they'd consider it magic."

" **And would they fear you for it? Might they call** ** _you_** **a demon?** "

"I suppose they might."

" **Sit down, Nolan, and I will answer all your questions.** "

He sat. Rebecca joined him, and the dragon settled herself down across from them.

"So," he asked. "If you're not a demon, what are you?"

" **Put aside your terms for now, Nolan. I do not think there is a word in your language to describe what I am.** "

"Okay, no pigeon-holing, then. But please, explain."

" **Arceus, the being you call God, is my father.** "

Nolan leapt up, but Rebecca pulled him back down. "How is that possible?" he asked. He supposed that was technically true of everyone on the planet, but no one talked about Him that way. Who was she to talk about the Creator as though she knew Him personally?

" **Why would it not be?** **Technically speaking, every living creature is his child. He created us all, after all.** "

"Then how are you different?" Rebecca asked.

" **I am not unique. He created me and 46 others to serve as his…helpers, and sent us into your world nearly 300 years ago.** "

"The same time those creatures appeared," Nolan said.

" **You know your history. He sent them here, and us to act as their guardians.** "

"Why?" Rebecca asked.

" **Truthfully, I do not know.** "

"But His plan didn't work perfectly. He was betrayed," Nolan said.

" **You mean Giratina.** " Nolan and Rebecca both winced visibly at the mention of that name. " **You should not fear the name.** "

"Why not?" Rebecca asked.

" **The story as you know it is partially right, although I do not know how he could have ended up as an evil figure in your religion when he only betrayed us about 150 years ago.** "

"Wait, what?" Rebecca asked. She wore the look of someone who had just had her faith deeply shaken.

" **Giratina was Arceus' second-born child and first son, born 500 years before the rest of us, along with his brother and sister. For most of his life, he was a loyal son. But something changed. I do not know what. For 150 years, he has waged a private war against your kind.** "

"What does he have against us?" Nolan asked.

" **He considers you weak, and at some point, he decided that the weak do not deserve to live.** "

"So you don't work for him."

" **I would not dream of it. I have always been your kind's staunchest advocate.** "

"So what would you have us do?"

" **Pass on what I have told you here today. Maybe one day our races can live in harmony.** "

"And if we refuse?"

" **What response are you expecting from me? It is your choice, and yours alone.** "

Rebecca suddenly leapt up. "Reshiram," she cried. "Your tail!"

Three pairs of eyes swung around to look at the dragon's strange, conical tail. An orange glow pulsed within it, and even as they watched it brightened slightly.

"It's almost as bright as it was earlier," Rebecca said.

" **It cannot be,** " the dragon said, her voice pained.

"What's going on?" Nolan asked.

" **Well, it no longer matters what decision you make regarding whether or not to do as I ask, Nolan. I will not live to see the end result.** "

"What?" he asked.

"I don't completely understand it either," Rebecca said. "Basically, the source of her power is also killing her."

"I…I'm sorry."

" **You had nothing to do with this. Either way, I am prepared to die. I am only a bit angry that my own body is doing what Walden could not.** "

"You know of him?" Nolan asked.

" **How could I not know of the man who has hunted me for two decades? It was through him, indirectly, that I learned of you, when you left the Slayers.** "

"Wait, you were a Slayer, Papa? When were you going tell me this?" Rebecca asked.

"I should have told you sooner," he admitted. "I just didn't know how. That was where I met your mother. The Slayers is a men-only organization for the most part, as you know, but Andrea was the archivist at our headquarters. Thirteen years ago, shortly after you turned one year old, a dragon flew too close to our headquarters and several of us were dispatched to the courtyard to bring it down. It attacked us, in what I now realize was self-defense. We brought it down, but I didn't realize that Andrea had been in the courtyard at the time. She was killed in the crossfire."

"Mama…," Rebecca said softly.

"Walden expected me to want revenge, so he approached me for help on his White Dragon crusade. But I wasn't angry over her death. I didn't want revenge then, and I never have. What came of it instead was a desire to understand the creatures and why we had been placed in conflict with them in the first place."

He looked back to the dragon. Reshiram, his daughter had called her. "I will do my best to spread the word. You will not be forgotten."

" **Thank you. I understand that standing up to your Church will be dangerous for you. Go home and plan. Good luck.** "

Nolan looked at Rebecca and saw that there were tears in her eyes.

* * *

 **AN: And here's part two. This story ended up running way longer than I had originally intended. I was originally intending for it to be maybe a ten-page story. It really came together after I watched Princess Mononoke with some friends, which inspired the addition of Xerneas to the story. Unfortunately, in the process it ballooned to 28 pages and over 12000 words.**

 **Xerneas' role in this story is somewhat similar to the Great Forest Spirit from Princess Mononoke. Reshiram slowly dying was also inspired by that movie (if you've seen it, you know what I mean) and was added to give the story a much-needed sense of urgency.**

 **As for why she's dying, all Fire-types (in my head-canon) have an internal flame that powers their Fire-type moves, but only those. Continually using Fire-type moves without any variety can stoke the flame to dangerous levels. Because Fire attacks are naturally easier than Dragon-type moves of similar strength, Reshiram has had a lot of difficulty learning any and only really knows Fire-type moves at this point. As a result, she's stoked her flame to such a level that it never truly subsides and is slowly but surely burning her up.**

 **I really liked the idea that being so powerful doesn't give the Legends any insurance against certain issues. Reshiram's not the only one to have difficulty mastering moves that should have been easy for her.**

 **One more detail about Reshiram in this is that I've always had an issue with descriptions that mention her having fur. Dragons are reptiles; they do not have fur. But then I remembered reading somewhere that human hair and fingernails are made of similar material, which eventually led to the idea that Reshiram's "fur" is in fact a layer of fine, hair-like scales overtop of her regular ones.**

 **I love Flygon. He's a really under-appreciated Pokemon and I chose him for exactly that reason. Sawsbuck too. I loved the idea of each Legend having one or two regular Pokemon that work for them. Flygon's a general errand-runner and also brings any disputes among the dragons to Reshiram for resolution. Which is what's on the list mentioned in this chapter. Sawsbuck serves as a liaison of sorts between Xerneas and the inhabitants of his domain.**

 **Also, regarding pronouns. I debated long and hard about whether or not to capitalize pronouns that refer to Arceus, as is the grammatical convention when referring to the Christian God. I finally compromised by doing it in the human characters' dialogue and the narration in their sections, but not doing it for Reshiram or Xerneas, because to them he's "Dad," not God.**


	3. Chapter 3

They arrived home just in time to be confronted by a most unwelcome visitor. Almost as soon as Nolan and Rebecca entered the house on the mountain through the back door, there was a knock on the front one. Rebecca hung back as Nolan went to answer it, and just as he suspected, Walden was on the doorstep, in full armor.

"Nolan, my condolences," he said. "I heard that your daughter had been taken by a dragon. I am here to offer you my assistance in hunting down the beast."

"That will not be necessary," Nolan said.

"Oh. You've already slain it?"

"Slaying it was not necessary. I found Rebecca alive." As soon as he was done speaking, Rebecca stepped into Walden's view.

The knight quickly shook off his shock. "How did you escape the dragon, child?" he asked.

"I didn't escape anyone," Rebecca said. "She had no interest in hurting me."

"She?" he asked. Then, after a second, he understood what she meant. "You met the White Dragon, and she spared your life."

"Isn't that proof enough that we were wrong about what she is?" Nolan asked.

"No, it's not. I can think of several things a demon could gain by keeping the girl alive." He addressed Rebecca. "You would be doing a great service to the Church if you told me where she is."

Rebecca glanced at her father. They'd planned most of how to deal with Walden on the walk back, but not how to respond to that particular question. Nolan's face was blank, so Rebecca came up with her own answer.

"No, I'm not going to help you kill her."

"Very well. I will find her even without your help."

Rebecca opened her mouth to respond, but Nolan had already slammed the door. "I told you to follow my lead," he said.

"Well, I had to say something," Rebecca said. "Do you think I said too much?"

"I suspect we'll find out sooner or later."

* * *

Walden strode down the mountain path, fuming. He and Nolan had never been on the best terms, but when had the ex-Slayer become such a fool? Challenging the Church's authority. Not recognizing a demon when he saw one. Forgetting how easily a demon as powerful as the White Dragon could ensnare a mortal. She had clearly placed some kind of enthrallment on the girl. Once this was over, he would have to see about taking her to the capital to have it removed by a professional. If Rebecca went around Telnor Village defending the Dragon…well, lynch mobs were far from unheard of in small towns like this. It would never be safe for her here.

It was clear to him why the White Dragon had spared the girl's life. The demon no doubt intended to keep her as a mortal servant. How could Nolan not see the fate he had rescued his daughter from? Maybe he'd been snared as well. The first step in purifying them both was the death of the demon responsible, but it would take more than three Slayers, as well trained as they were, to bring down a demon this powerful.

He knew the people of small towns like this were particularly afraid of evil, fearing to even speak Giratina's name and eschewing mirrors out of fear that he could use them as conduits through which to steal away people's souls. Maybe he could convince the men of this village to help him.

* * *

"Where is everybody?" Rebecca wondered aloud. She was in the Mullins' tavern, back working like nothing had happened, except that there were literally no customers.

"It was that Slayer. Walden, his name was," said Goodman Mullin, coming out of the back. Apparently he'd heard her.

"What?" she asked.

"He came in here early and started stirring up the customers. Something about a white dragon. They all took off toward the mountain. A regular angry mob it was. Torches and pitchforks in broad daylight."

 _Oh, Arceus. No,_ she thought. They were going after Reshiram.

"Can I go home?" she asked hurriedly.

"Why?"

"Please," she begged.

"I don't see why not, since there aren't any customers."

"Thanks," she said, throwing off her apron and bolting out the door.

* * *

"Papa," she called, bursting into the house. She'd made record time up the mountain, spurred on by necessity. She quickly found Nolan in his usual place out back.

"You're home early," he observed.

"I just heard. Walden's formed an angry mob to go track down Reshiram. We have to warn her."

"Calm down, Rebecca," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Think."

She took a deep breath. "Okay," she said.

"They do not know where they are going. They could be wandering around the mountain for hours. Plenty of time for one of the dragons to spot them and bring word to her. Or, as the case may be, plenty of time for you to get back to the cavern and warn her."

"Okay," she repeated, taking another deep breath.

"I'm going to try to find Walden and talk him down."

"Good luck," she said.

* * *

She was lost. There was no way around it. And it hadn't taken very long. Within about ten minutes after she'd left the house, she'd realized that she had no idea where she was. She had no idea how to get to Reshiram's cavern. Rebecca had thought she could find it again, but she'd now been forced to acknowledge that the forest looked a lot different from the air than it did on the ground. Maybe that had been intentional. Maybe Reshiram hadn't wanted her to be able to find her way back.

Rebecca sank to her knees. She'd never be able to get there in time. Maybe Reshiram could handle them; Rebecca had no idea just how powerful the dragon was. But if they surprised her, it would force a fight, and a lot of people would die.

A stick snapped near her, and she glanced up, to find herself looking into the warm, brown eyes of…a deer? No, not just a deer. This one had leaves in its antlers.

"Sawsbuck?" she asked, standing up. "Is that you?"

The deer nodded. Rebecca glanced around for a second, wondering what he was doing here, and realized that she had somehow found the Heart of the Forest.

"Can you…understand me?" she asked in surprise.

The deer nodded again.

She got an idea, a crazy idea, but anything was better than nothing.

"I have to speak to your lord," she said.

Sawsbuck shook his head frantically and tried to shove her backwards, away from the grove.

" **Sawsbuck,** " said a familiar, and somewhat irritated, voice. " **What is going on out there?** "

And then Xerneas stepped from the grove. Sawsbuck dipped his head into a low bow. Rebecca, after a moment's hesitation, mimicked the gesture as well as she could.

" **You again,** " he said. " **I suggest you leave, before I lose my temper.** "

"Lord Xerneas," she said, doing her best to remain polite, despite the deer's irritated tone. "Reshiram's cavern is about to come under attack. I have to get there and warn her, and, uh, I'm kind of lost."

" **You are a strange mortal,** " he said. " **You side with us against your own kind, and you come to me for help, even knowing that I could simply kill you for coming here.** "

"I don't…" Rebecca started, but the deer wasn't done.

" **And you do not demand my help, or even explicitly ask.** "

"I don't think I'm unusual at all. If more of us understood, I think you'd find that there are a lot like me."

" **Either way, I must thank you for bringing me this news. Reshiram is my kin, and I cannot simply abandon her, even if she will not thank me for my aid.** "

"So you'll help protect the cavern?"

" **I have my own responsibilities here at the Heart that I must attend to. I cannot do what you ask.** "

Rebecca hung her head.

" **But what I can do is ensure that you get there quickly to warn her. Sawsbuck.** "

The smaller deer stepped forward.

" **Bear the girl to the Dragon Sanctuary, as fast as you can.** "

Sawsbuck nodded in acknowledgement, then crouched to let Rebecca climb onto his back. Once she was settled, he turned and galloped into the forest.

* * *

Sawsbuck was fast, and carrying her hardly seemed to tire him. In very little time, he stopped outside the ground-level entrance of the cavern, which Rebecca guessed was called the Dragon Sanctuary. It made sense to her that Reshiram's home would have a proper name, the way Xerneas' glade was called the Heart of the Forest.

She entered the cave, Sawsbuck following. He seemed not at all afraid to enter a cave full of dragons, any one of which might like to make a meal of him. The cave opened up into the main cavern, and Rebecca saw Reshiram standing on the lakeshore. She broke into a run, dashing across the cavern.

"Reshiram!" she called.

The dragon turned and saw her. " **What are you doing here?** "

"Walden's on his way," she said. "He's got half the town with him. They're coming to kill you."

" **I know. I have had a plan of evacuation in place for decades. The dragons will all escape.** "

"But what about you?"

" **I will stay behind to defend them.** "

"But, you'll die."

" **I am dying already,** " Reshiram pointed out. Rebecca noticed that the glow in her tail was even brighter now. " **For nearly a century, my duty has been protecting the dragons that come here to raise their young. They are my priority, not safeguarding a life that will soon end anyway.** "

"Good bye, Reshiram," Rebecca said, fighting back tears.

" **Do not cry for me, Rebecca.** "

* * *

Nolan caught up to Walden and the villagers fairly easily. A group that size could only move as fast as its slowest member, and stealth was out of the question.

"Nolan," Walden greeted him. "Have you come to join us?"

"No," Nolan replied.

"Then, why, exactly, are you coming after us in your armor?" Nolan had pulled out his old gear before leaving the house. He now wore leather armor and a sword on his hip, as well as his bow and quiver on his back.

"To stop you from getting all these men killed."

"There are more than two dozen of us. I think that's more than enough to bring down a single dragon, no matter how powerful she may be."

"Then you are grossly underestimating her. I've seen her, remember. You haven't. She is more than capable of slaughtering your entire force if you give her a reason to." He didn't know that for certain, and he hoped he wasn't exaggerating Reshiram's strength.

"You think I don't have a plan to bring her down. Look around, Nolan." He looked. All the townspeople had spears or bows. He saw a couple high-powered crossbows, which unnerved him. He'd seen first-hand the damage they could do to a dragon's wings. He also noticed some men carrying thick ropes. One of the other Slayers had what looked like bolas.

"So you're not even going to fight her fairly," he said.

"What do dragons know about fair fighting?" Walden scoffed. "Any other time I might listen to you, but these are…

"Desperate times, I know."

"Not everything, you don't. I shouldn't share this, but…," Walden leaned in close and dropped his voice until it was barely above a whisper. "…you're an old comrade. Remember the dragon cult, in southern Hoenn?"

"Of course I do." Everyone who'd been a Slayer in the last twenty years remembered them. The cult was an entire community centered on worship of a single dragon. One member of the Slayer team sent to investigate them had even met their "Living Goddess," a massive green dragon. The team had reported that, heathen though they may be, they were peaceful people, and the Slayers had left them alone.

"They were wiped out a few days ago. No survivors."

"Their goddess turned on them?" Nolan asked incredulously. He'd read the reports on the cult several times. The Slayer who'd written them had concluded that the dragon and her followers wanted nothing to do with Giratina or any sort of evil.

"That's what we think at this point, although we have reports of other abnormally large dragons in the area."

"So what's your point in sharing this?"

"That monsters like this can no longer be allowed to live. We have to at least try to bring down the White Dragon. In these dark times, it's our duty as Slayers."

"But it's not _their_ duty," Nolan said, gesturing to the assembled villagers.

"Do you lot want a chance to fight evil?" Walden asked them.

They cheered.

"Let's go," Walden said. "Join us or not. It's your choice, Nolan."

"You're going to get everyone killed," Nolan called after them as they walked away, but no one listened.

* * *

Rebecca and Sawsbuck were still at the Sanctuary when Flygon dropped in through the roof. He immediately flew to Reshiram and said something to her. As usual, Rebecca couldn't understand a word the green dragon said.

" **He said that they are nearly here,** " Reshiram translated, and then turned her attention to Flygon. " **Start the evacuation.** "

Flygon flew off.

Reshiram then turned to Sawsbuck. " **Return to your lord. Tell him what I intend to do.** "

"And me?" Rebecca asked.

" **You should leave.** "

Sawsbuck galloped out of the cave. Rebecca slowly walked. She was thinking frantically. There had to be a way she could help.

* * *

Walden gasped in surprise when he saw the hole. It was massive and surprisingly well hidden by the vegetation growing over the edges. He stepped to the edge and looked down, noticing the pool of water at the bottom. It didn't take much figuring to realize that this was the demon's lair. It was well hidden and, if this was the only entrance, amazingly defensible.

"Can you hear me, demon?" he called into the hole. "Come out, and face your fate."

* * *

Reshiram heard what Walden called down to her. _Here we go,_ she thought.

She summoned Flygon, using a mental signal they had worked out several years ago. He landed beside her after only a couple seconds.

" **How goes the evacuation?** " she asked him, making sure to keep her voice as low as possible.

" _Nearly done, my lady,_ " he replied. " _The Dragonite and the other Flygon had no issues, since our young can fly after only one evolution. The Garchomp families were already gone. You know how they are in tunnels. The problem is with the Salamence and Charizard. Some of the Bagon have evolved into Shelgon and are too heavy for their parents to carry. And the Charizard lay larger numbers of eggs than the rest of us. The parents can't handle all the baby Charmander running around._ "

" **Get them down through the tunnels. I will cover you.** "

" _Are you certain?_ "

" **Yes.** "

" _Let me help you._ "

" **No, Flygon. Go with the others. They will need your leadership.** "

* * *

Rebecca scrambled up the narrow path alongside the mouth of the cave. Upon reaching the top, she gasped. Walden and the villagers who'd followed him were all standing around the upper exit, waiting for Reshiram to fly out through it.

Rebecca cursed. If Reshiram hadn't been so adamant about covering the other dragons' retreat, she'd have left through the ground-level exit, which Walden apparently didn't know about, and get away clear. Instead, she was going to fly straight into a trap.

* * *

Xerneas cringed inwardly when Sawsbuck told him what Reshiram planned. It was a good plan, and was certainly nothing less than Arceus would expect of her. The problem, at least as far as he was concerned, was that she could very well set the forest on fire in the process.

" **Well,** " he said. " **I suppose I will have to ensure that does not happen.** "

* * *

Reshiram took to the air. She circled the lake a couple times, just barely skimming the surface, then shot fire from her tail, vaporizing a large portion of the water in the process, and climbing upwards. As she rose, surrounded by steam, she activated her Turboblaze ability, cloaking herself in what would look like fire to the untrained eye, to create an even more impressive display.

She shot out of the hole, smiling in spite of herself at the oohs and ahhs she heard from the humans gathered around. A couple of them actually turned and ran.

Her elation was cut short when she felt a stab of pain shoot through her. This battle would be her death, she knew, either from Walden's blade, or her own internal flame.

* * *

Walden stared in awe as the dragon flew out of the hole, wreathed in flames. Even he had to admit she was amazing to look at. But under those immaculate scales, he knew, beat a black heart, shriveled by evil.

"Archers," he ordered. "Fire!"

* * *

A dozen arrows arced towards her, and Reshiram dodged easily to one side, before incinerating the arrows with a quick Flamethrower as they flew past.

 _I cannot kill them,_ she thought. _This might be my last chance to show them that I am not evil._

A man fired his crossbow at her, and she burnt the bolt to ash well before it reached her. This time, a stray flame hit the grass, sending a patch of it up in smoke. One of the Slayers stamped it out quickly.

 _No fire attacks. I do not want to send the forest up in flames._

She concentrated. _Dragon-fire. Come on, give me dragon-fire._

A sudden coolness ran through her. Curious, she shot fire at the very edge of the hole. The flames were blue, dark blue, with yellow at their hearts. The place where they hit was scorched, but not on fire.

Dragon-flames.

 _So this is what it feels like to attack without using my flame._

* * *

Walden ducked behind a tree, so he could analyze the battle for a second without being in immediate danger. The dragon didn't seem to be aiming her attacks very well. She hadn't hit anyone yet. But that didn't mean she wouldn't. She was probably toying with them.

* * *

Still wondering how it had suddenly become so easy to use Dragon-type moves, Reshiram gathered energy and fired a Dragon Pulse, drawing a half-circle of scorched grass in front of the men.

" **Leave this place,** " she ordered. A few of the men did exactly that, and even Walden looked ready to reconsider how easy it would be to defeat her.

But then a crossbow bolt punched through her wing.

* * *

Walden didn't see who'd fired the bolt, but he'd seen it hit and heard the dragon's cry of pain. He knew he had to take advantage of it.

"Concentrate fire on her wings!" he called.

* * *

Reshiram climbed higher in the air, trying to ignore the pain in her wing and only partially succeeding. She glanced over and saw the blood trickling from the wound. Another barrage of arrows came in, and she spun in the air, trying to dodge. One still hit her tail, sending a stab of pain all the way up her body. He might not know it, but that archer had hit something important. She glanced down, and her stomach clenched. That arrow looked to be only about an inch away from the main energy convergence point in her body. As it was, it was firmly lodged in one of her principal energy channels. Were it not for the secondary convergence point in her chest, she would already be down for the count, and she was likely cut off from her strongest attacks. Not that she intended on using those.

She fired another Dragon Pulse, aiming for directly in front of Walden, who stumbled back as the beam hit the grass. As she fired, she felt another stab of pain rip through her. Not the pain of being consumed by her own fire, but the pain of attacking when her entire body was screaming at her to stop so it could repair itself. This wound could kill her as surely as the fire could.

* * *

Walden leapt back, as a column of strange indigo flames slammed into the spot where he'd been standing a second before.

"See if you can draw her this way," he called to his men, a plan forming in his head. He drew an arrow and notched it in his bow. He drew back…

…and then something slammed into him.

* * *

Rebecca had been watching the battle from the bushes, and when she saw Walden train his bow on Reshiram's heart, she had acted without thinking about anything other than the need to stop him.

She sprinted across the grass and cannoned into him. His bow fell from his grip, the arrow un-shot.

"What are you doing?" Walden demanded.

"She is not our enemy."

"No, but she works for him."

"No, she doesn't. I'll show you."

Rebecca leapt to her feet and put herself between Reshiram and the men. "Go ahead," she told the dragon. "Kill me if you want."

* * *

Walden gasped. What was the girl doing, putting herself at the mercy of a dragon? But then he realized. The dragon in question wasn't making any move to attack.

Maybe she was just reluctant to kill her thrall. Or maybe…

No. That wasn't possible. How could dozens of Church scholars have all been wrong?

"Get her out of the way," he said.

One of the other Slayers, Frederick, grabbed the girl and hauled her out of the way, holding her back with one arm wrapped around her waist.

"Get out of here," she cried to the dragon. "They're going to kill you. Go!"

Walden raised his arm, then brought it down.

A salvo of arrows, fired from across the clearing, slammed into the dragon's back.

* * *

Rebecca's cry was nearly drowned out by Reshiram's own roar of pain as several arrows punched deep into her back. Instinct took over, telling her to get as far away from the new threat as she could. She realized too late that it was a trick.

* * *

As soon as the dragon was over the grass, rather than the hole, Walden gave the order. "Bolas, fire!"

"No!" Rebecca cried.

Two different men threw their bolas. The first one missed, the second was dead on target, coiling around the dragon and pinning her wings to her sides. She crashed to the ground.

"Bind her," he ordered.

Men swarmed her, wrapping thick hempen rope around her legs and tying her mouth shut.

* * *

That was when Nolan entered the clearing.

"Walden, stop this mad…" He broke off when he saw Reshiram.

"Who's mad now, Nolan? You told me I would get these men killed, yet here I am, about to give this demon what she deserves."

"Look at her, Walden. Demon or not, she's a creature of fire. Don't you think she could easily burn her way free and slaughter all of you if she wanted to?"

"I don't pretend to understand demons…"

"Don't you get it? She's not a demon."

"Oh?"

"Where's your proof?"

"My faith is all the proof I need. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some divine justice to deal out. " Walden turned away.

"Oh, my Arceus, Walden. You don't understand what you're doing!"

"No. Stop!" Rebecca cried.

* * *

Reshiram lay in the grass and listened to the two men arguing over her fate.

 _Burn my way free, Nolan?_ she thought. _I wish I could._

Nolan, like so many others, had mistaken the translucent flames of Turboblaze for real fire. That was why the stories about her described an aura of fire that would burn alive anyone who got to close. If she stoked it high enough, it would take on the properties of real fire, but doing that with the damage to her energy channels would probably kill her, and painfully at that.

 _At least this way my death will be quick._

* * *

Walden drew his sword and walked over to where the dragon lay in the grass. She bled from half a dozen different wounds, her blood running across her scales and into the grass. He was surprised to see that it was the same crimson red as his own.

 _A single thrust through the heart, then cut it out and burn it,_ he thought. That would ensure that she stayed dead. He'd read somewhere that Giratina could resurrect his fallen servants.

This was it, the culmination of twenty years of searching, researching. Now, finally, the White Dragon would die.

" **You do not know what divine justice is,** " a voice said in his head.

He realized it was her speaking and quickly shook his head frantically to clear it. "You won't ensnare me, demon," he said.

" **You are a fool to not listen.** " She lifted her head and looked him straight in the eye. Thinking it a last-minute attempt to enthrall him, he hurriedly looked away.

" **Look me in the eye when you kill me,** " she said.

He put his foot on her neck and got ready to bring his blade down.

* * *

Nolan moved.

 _I have to stop this,_ he thought.

He lunged forward and grabbed Walden by the shoulder.

* * *

Rebecca watched helplessly, as Reshiram was brought down, as she was bound, and as Walden made to kill her. She could only watch as her father lunged forward and grabbed Walden's shoulder. And she could only watch what happened next.

Walden spun around.

"You are not going to get in my way," he said, then stabbed Nolan in the stomach.

Time seemed to slow down as her father collapsed, a surprised look on his face. She sank to her knees, too shocked to say anything. The Slayer who'd been holding her back was so horrified that his arms went limp and offered no resistance as she fell. Everyone was staring in at Walden in sheer disbelief, even his comrades-in-arms.

Walden then calmly turned back to Reshiram and raised his blade.

And then, of all people who could have come to the rescue, it was Xerneas who stepped from the trees.

The response to his entrance was mixed at best. A couple people, including the two Slayers, readied their weapons. The most superstitious there dropped to their knees, certain they were in the presence of a powerful spirit. Xerneas surveyed the clearing, taking in Walden's bloody sword, Nolan on the ground clutching his stomach, Rebecca on her knees staring in horror, and the men with bows trained on him.

After several tense seconds the men who had drawn their weapons put them away, starting with the two Slayers. Rebecca supposed that it was much harder to think of a creature like Xerneas as a demon than it was to think that way about one like Reshiram.

"Who are you?" Walden asked. He was the only one still with a drawn weapon.

" **I am Xerneas. You have brought your human violence into this forest, my domain, and that is something I cannot allow.** "

"So what are you going to do?" Walden was not quite able to keep the fear out of his voice.

" **First, repair the damage.** " He stepped towards Nolan. Once again, his horns went from being pale blue to being all sorts of colors. The same dark pink pulse of energy Rebecca had seen before surged out from the deer and encircled Nolan. " **This is my gift to you, mortal. Do not make me regret it.** "

Nolan sat up, completely healed. "Thank you," he said.

" **Second,** " he said, stepping back, " **is to ask you all to leave the forest peacefully.** "

"You're not going to kill us?" Walden asked in disbelief.

" **Not if I can avoid it. If you refuse to leave, I make no guarantees.** "

"I am a holy warrior of Arceus. You cannot…" Walden began.

" **Leave!** " Xerneas thundered, rearing up on his hind legs. A wave of light rushed outward from him.

Almost all the men turned and ran. Walden turned to follow them and found two sword-points in his face.

"You are under arrest, Walden," one of the two Slayers, whose swords they were, said.

"For what?" Walden demanded.

"Attempted murder, for starters," said the other.

"He associated with a demon," Walden protested, pointing at Nolan. "Arrest him, not me."

"I don't know if I think she _is_ a demon anymore," said the first.

"I'm starting to think we may have been wrong," said the other.

"I think," Nolan said, "that, with your report on this incident, the Church may have to rethink a lot of things."

"I sure hope so," said Rebecca, who was trying to cut Reshiram free. As she sliced through the last rope, the dragon leapt to her feet.

" **Thank you, Xerneas,** " she said.

" **I must say I am surprised to hear that from you. I was under the impression that you did not want my help.** "

" **Then why did you come?** "

" **I simply wanted to ensure that you did not set the forest on fire.** "

" **That was not an issue.** "

" **Oh?** " the deer asked, perplexed.

" **I finally figured it out, how to attack without using my flame.** "

"Reshiram, your tail!" Rebecca cried. It was the first good look she'd had at the dragon's tail since the battle. There was hardly any glow.

" **Congratulations,** " Xerneas said.

"So what happens now?" Rebecca asked.

Reshiram looked across the clearing to where Nolan was conferring with one of the two Slayers, the other having escorted Walden away.

" **What happened here today has clearly changed a few minds,** " she said. " **With luck, the combined influence of two Slayers and one former Slayer will be able to change more.** "

"Here's hoping."

That was when Rebecca realized that Xerneas had disappeared.

"Where did he go?" she asked.

" **Returned to the Heart, no doubt,** " Reshiram said.

"He really doesn't like humans. I was hoping that what happened here might have changed his mind too."

" **I think he may have as much to rethink as the Church does.** "

* * *

 **AN: Holy crap, a lot happened in this section.**

 **Ah, Walden. He really does think he's doing what's best, but he's also extremely single-minded and inflexible.**

 **I hope the battle scene wasn't too hard to follow with the jumping point of view. I don't think I'm particularly good at writing big battle scenes, so I tried this to in an attempt to keep it interesting. I liked the way it turned out.**

 **Regarding Reshiram's energy, I've explained this before, but in my head-canon, Pokemon have channels of energy running through their bodies. This energy powers their attacks. It's kind of like chi flow (and the convergence points are chakras) except its tangible and can be damaged, which is what happened here.**

 **The "dragon cult" Walden talks about here is the Draconids (from the ORAS Delta Episode), or at least a version of them I invented for this AU. This scene is actually prologuing something that will be elaborated on in the sequel to Uprising.**

 **Yes, I know Charizard aren't Dragon-types. But they're dragon-like Fire-types, and Mega Charizard X is the only Pokemon to share Reshiram's Typing, so I figured they'd be attracted to the Dragon Sanctuary too.**

 **And speaking of the Dragon Sanctuary. I know the introduction of the name was a bit awkward, but that was the first place I felt introducing it made sense. Another thing I couldn't work in had to do with Goodman Mullin's "torches and pitchforks" comment. That was intended as a joke on his part, but I couldn't find a good place to explain that and couldn't bring myself to cut it.**

 **Regarding Xerneas, he doesn't really care about Nolan, but letting someone die when he could save them goes against his very nature, both as a Legend in general and as the Life Pokemon specifically.**

 **Last note, to anyone who's wondering what bolas are. If you've watched How to Train Your Dragon, you've seen several. Hiccup builds a catapult to launch them. It's what he shoots Toothless down with at the beginning of the movie.**


	4. Epilogue

Reshiram dropped through the hole and landed back in the Sanctuary. Her whole body hurt. Most of her wounds were relatively superficial and would heal in a couple days once the arrows her removed. The one in her tail, however, was problematic. The network of crisscrossing energy lines in her tail was so complex that the damage to it couldn't be healed by a Heal Pulse. The stress her out-of-control inner flame had put on it for so many years, coupled with continuing to fight after it was damaged would no doubt lengthen her healing time. She would probably be unable to fight for the better part of a year while her body healed itself.

She would prefer to do her healing in her father's Hall, but she also didn't particularly want her family, especially her brothers, to see her in this state, so the Sanctuary would have to suffice. The Sanctuary that was how completely empty, she realized. The dragons would not return to a place where their young had been put in danger.

But one of them did. Flygon flew out of one of the upper caves and landed in front of her.

 _"My lady,"_ he said, bowing deeply.

" **I told you to leave.** "

 _"I couldn't just abandon you after everything you've done."_

" **Flygon…** "

 _"Are you all right, my lady?"_

" **I will recover. It may take quite some time though.** "

 _"I will be here for whatever you need of me. My mate may need some convincing, but I can think of no better place for her to lay her eggs."_

" **You do not have to do this, Flygon. Just say the word, and I will release you from your oath to me.** "

 _"And where would I go if you did? Thanks to you, my children, and certainly their children, will not have to live in fear. It would be my honor to continue in your service."_

" **Then spread the word. Despite what has happened, the Dragon Sanctuary is still a safe place.** "

* * *

 **AN: I know this is really short, but I wanted to write an epilogue, and I wanted to upload it separately.**


End file.
